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Sagittarius-Carina Mission

THE SAGITTARIUS-CARINA MISSIONorganized by the First Great Expedition (FGE)

Launched: August 1st 3301
Concluded: January 31st 3304

Total number of participants: 176
Months of continous survey operations: 30

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Mission Accomplished!

The Sagittarius-Carina Mission has been concluded and is no longer an ongoing community project.
Below you can read more about the ideas, route, history and findings of this crazy semi-circumgalactic-survey-operation.
The route and waypoints are still there (though planet topography may have changed)
and anyone interested in revisiting any of these locations are encouraged to do so.
Please post pictures in this thread if you want to share your findings from the BEYOND Era.

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Mission principles:

All explorers are invited to take part!

Those new wanderers leaving the bubble for the first time - and those grizzled veterans of Distant Worlds on their way back there.
Those wanting to visit the "Shinies" close to civilization - and those aiming for a semi-circumnavigation.
Those looking to wing up - and those prefering to travel alone.
Those flying Adders - those flying Anacondas

An open mapping project:
Anyone can sign up at any time and explore any part of the Sagittarius-Carina Arm at their own pace.

It is the aim of this mission to explore an area corresponding to a semi-circumnavigation of the galaxy (the Sagittarius-Carina Arm and the Sagittarius Constellation), and by doing this collection Points Of Interest (POI´s) for the GALACTIC MAPPING PROJECT.

Any explorer is welcome to join for only a part of this voyage, or explore along the planned route at their own pace.

In addition to social channels, the Deep Space Communications Relay hosts operational channels to be freely used by any explorers forming up in wings.

Participants are free to play in Solo, Open or any private group they prefer. We have a private group called FGE EXPLORERS that follows the Mobius code of conduct and is open to all. Send a friend request to FGE EXPLORERS and allow up to a few days of processing. Then you should be able to join the private group.

Documentation:
Share what you are doing, how you are doing, and what you have found.

We kindly ask you to share any interesting stuff you find - either before or after you return to civilisation. This is the main objective of the entire mission. See the "POINTS OF INTEREST" - page in the google doc. There is also a PROSPECTING SERVICE for reporting or searching for materials.

We also kindly ask anyone taking part in this, to keep track of their progress on the "PROGRES" - page in the google doc.

This will give the Staff Group a sense of how many participants are currently active, where they are, as well as the general "shape" of the mission.

This is also to give individual explorers a sense of community as well as a channel to coordinate exploration, arrange meetups or form wings.

Archive footage from Juli 3301: The route of the Sagittarius-Carina Mission is being planned...

STAGE 1 : SOL - ULTIMA CENTAURIFull stage lenght : 53441 LY
Recommended jump range : 30+ LYIf you have a permit to the Sol system, then this route ceremonially starts (or ends) at Galileo station in orbit around the Moon. From there the route goes to the Lagoon Nebula and into the Sagittarius-Carina Arm. It passes a series of stunning planetary nebulae as well as a few larger nebulae: Pueliae and Eock Prau. This stage ends at Ultima Centauri - a star located deep within the Centaurus constellation and literally the "last centaur" on this route.

An alternative route for camp 2, 3 and 4 is plotted south of the arm. This was the original route travelled in the fall of 3301, and will take you to the massive Eta Carina nebulae and the NGC 3199 cluster and nebula.

Most of this stage could probably be travelled by ships with range much lower than 30 LY, but some of the camps are located well above or below the galactic plane where there are further between the star systems. The Pueliae Nebula, located outside the arm in the Scutum-Sagittarius Gap, has also been known to be somewhat difficult to reach.

In this age we cross the void of the galaxy, but in other times humans endured to cross the void to their closest orbital neighbour - the Moon. The route thus ceremonially starts (or ends) at Galileo station in orbit around the Moon. The first jump is plotted to the Alpha Centauri sytem, in honour of the early interstellar space travellers.

Herschel 36 is the primary star of the Lagoon Nebula, but the system itself contains no landable planets. However, one of the Distant Worlds landing sites are located in the nebula and makes for a fine spot to enjoy the sights and colors of Lagoon.

Discovered by CMDR Gibbonici in the days before planetary landings was possible, this system might offer an interesting perspective on just HOW close a planet and its moon may orbit each other. Would it be possible to build a bridge from one to the other? The landing site was scouted by CMDR Kerenn who found a very high plateau topped with wavy dunes.

NGC 5979 is a planetary nebula of a little over ⅔ of a light-year across, located in the southern constellation of Triangulum Australe (the Southern Triangle). On the third planet in the system, the unique mix of the colors from the dying star and the nebula combine to give the nightside that magical greenish-yellow purple color...

Between camp 2a and 2b is another (but hard to reach) planetary nebula: the NGC 5307 nebula centered on the CD-50 8073 system. CMDR Draco84oz who scouted camp 2a and 2b in a DBX reports that there's a gap in the starfield app. 35ly deep that is difficult to bridge without jumponium or flying a stripped down Asp or Anaconda. Its location would make for a great viewpoint, so please make a post and share some images if you reach this system.

NGC 5315 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Circinus. The moon of the third planet in the system sports an intriguing multi-level plateau and twisting canyons under the blue and purple glow of the nebula. The site is named in reference to the Azure Dragon of the West, one of the four mythological spirit creatures of the chinese constellations.

A blue & purple planetary nebula, located in the Sagittarius Arm near the Eta Carina nebula, with a Neutron star, class M star, a couple of Gas Giants and many terrestrial planets. Among the terrestrials you can find a Water World, an Earth-Like World and an Ammonia World. The discoverer claims that majestic structures can be seen on the surface of these planets, some floating on water and even in the air. Thus, he named it the Three Worlds Nebula. However, it has been suggested that the discoverer spent too much time inside the magical looking nebula and started seeing things as a result.

The first planet around the secondary star offers an amazing view, and a nice soft spot to land on there...

This planetary nebula is located within the Carina constellation. It was first visited by CMDR Allitnil. The nebula itself is beautiful to behold, but the system contains no landable planets (or planets at all!). However, a nearby system contains a multitude of landable worlds just waiting to be explored.

Originally chosen as a staging area located app. halfway between the Lagoon Nebula and the Eta Carina nebula. The system itself revealed little out of the ordinary when it was first visited by 20 CMDRs in the fall of 3301. It is retained in the route for historical reasons. Perhabs with the introduction of planetary landings, new and interesting sites might be found?

The nebula is one of the largest diffuse nebulae when seen from Earth. Although it is some four times as large and even brighter than the famous Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is much less well known, due to its location in the southern sky. The nebula itself is varied and impressive and you could spend an entire expedition just to explore this area.

Even though it is not in the immediate neighbourhood of civilization, the NGC 3199 has been thoroughly surveyed by CMDR Swift Arrow in the days before planetary landings. So even though you probably won´t be able to claim any "first discovered by" tags here, there is still plenty of amazing sights to behold and unvisited surfaces to wander.

CMDR Swift Arrow compares the shape of the nebula to a giant bird. And since the area is a deep red hue this really MUST be the Vermillion Bird of the South from the chinese constellations, known as the Zhu Que. I deeply implore the first explorer to find a worthy landing site in this system to name it the Zhu Que Nest

This young Herbig star is very compact, with a solar mass of 10.8 and a solar radius of only 0.2. The system contains no landable planets, but offers the opportunity for some great views even so.

A nearby system contains a ringed and glittering world, but be advised - the gravity is 4.01g. CMDR Argon who scouted this alluring world reports that everything is very bright and shiny down on the surface - though this could also be an effect of the concussion he aquired when setting down in a hard landing... Visiting this landing site is entirely optional, as trying to land there would be really reckless - right? But now that you know about this world, can you resist the lure of The Siren?

The Nebula is located a bit outside the Sagittarius-Carina arm, but the small detour is worth it. It can be a bit tricky plotting a route there, as it is a low-density area in terms of systems. CMDR AndyBoom who scouted this area reports on the systems within the nebula: "The A class stars were my favourite as them with the blue and purple background made it look very beautiful. However, I also found some F class stars which made the entire system look yellow."

A system containing several ringed gas giants - with three of them orbiting each other. This leads to a unique view from the landing site. CMDR Joghiarius reports: "The site is situated alongside a shallow gorge with a half-crescent crater. There are large flat areas along both sides of the gorge. This one gives a nice view of the rings of the nearby gas-giant. The drive down the gorge is quite doable I found it to be fun. Try to spot the distant silhouettes of 2 more gas giants and another close by moon in the sky."

The nearby system of Grie Hypai DL-Y G2 contains a Black Hole but no laudable planets. Enter at your own risk.

CMDR AndyBoom wrote this scout report that really captures the unique essence of this system: "This Neutron system caught my attention with a landable HMC only 55 light seconds from the Neutron Star. Personally, this is the closest I have seen a non-icy planet orbit a Neutron Star. So I decided to land on it, and when I was down there it felt really empty, it felt like a wasteland. And that's the distinctive feature of this system. Instead of having lots of stars, colours and rare planets, it has one barely visible star, three common planets and is almost completely black. In my opinion that might be a nice change of pace, and that's why I like this system. My experience was that the system feels so empty, dead even, that it becomes a noticeable feature."

To me this seems like a fitting abode for the fourth of the major mythical animals of the chinese constellations: the Black Tortoise of the North.

Ultima Centauri is the most easterly system ever visited by a community expedition. It marks the halfway point between Sol and Beagle Point along the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm.

The system is located at the very far end of the Centaurus Reach, earning it the name Ultima Centauri - literally 'the last centaur' or 'at the end of Centaurus'. The name has a deeper meaning though, as the term 'ultima Centauri' (like ultima Thule on medieval Earth) can also mean 'a place beyond the borders of the known world'. For deep space explorers traveling along the Sagittarius-Carina Arm, Ultima Centauri marks the transition between the relatively well traveled regions close to home, and the much more desolate regions of Viatori Patuit, Silentium and the Solitude Void.

It is a rather barren neutron star system, and nothing to strive for in itself. It has however become a symbol of the dogged determination of those that venture beyond the Centaurus Reach and into the seemingly endless and barren outer regions of the Sagittarius-Carina Arm; out where no spectacular nebula or star cluster awaits the weary explorer.

The landing site is located on the moon of a gas giant. The position near the dark galactic rim, the close orbit of the planet to the neutron star and the peculiar color of the light - all these enhances the feeling that this is near the end of all things - even centaurs.

STAGE 2 : ULTIMA CENTAURI - BEAGLE POINTFull stage lenght : 49396 LY
Recommended jump range : 30+ LY (33+ to reach Beagle Point without jumponium)From Ultima Centauri this stage continues along the Sagittarius-Carina arm all the way to its tip at Beagle Point. Very few explorers have ever travelled these upper parts of the Sagittarius-Carina arm. This is probably both due to the remoteness of the area and the fact that this is arguably the blandest area in the galaxy - rivalling even the Bleak Lands. From Ultima Centauri and to Beagle Point you will not find a single major nebula or star cluster. What ever gems this area hides, they are well hidden. But like the endless frozen wastes of Antarctica or the unfading burning dunes of the Sahara on ancient Earth, this area calls out to those most intrepid explorers - those yearning to traverse even the most unforgiving wastelands.

The base camps of this area are at the time of writing mostly uncharted. They have been selected based on stellar data gathered by remote telescope, but you could be among the first to ever survey these areas.

At the tip of the Sagittarius-Carina arm the stars become increasingly thinner, requiring ever greater jump range or jumponium to proceed.

The Buoy is a distinctive binary B-star system that acts as a navigational marker for explorers in this region of the arm.

CMDR Dommarraa reports about the only planet in the system: "This is a dangerous and ominous place. Large Ice World with large areas enveloped in thick haze. When you get in close, you see the terrible landing conditions."

This system is located within the Norma constellation - roughly corresponding to the Viatori Patuit galactic region. In a system with 20 landable rocky worlds, Guy De Lombard found an impressive impact crater on a world in tidally locked orbit around its parent gas giant.

CMDR Joghiarius reporting: "The central star is an impressive class B of 14 solar masses and 5,5 solar radii. The only landable body is a metal-rich planet (8A) that orbits one of the 4 additional T-Tauri stars in the system.

Although not to impressive in size (just under 1000 km radius) she has an interesting 'feel' to her, with nice shades of brown and grayish-green. The surface consists mostly of craters and some lonely mountains, and is a rich source of Iron, Nickel, Zinc, Cadmium, Chromium and Arsenic."

CMDR Martín Afonso reports: "Only landable bodies in the system is icy moons, but with interesting surface colors. B 8 A has a nice dark grey-red pattern and a lot of canyons and rifts. A 1 a, shows a curious canyon configuration that made me think of some kind of giant. I'd like to name the system "Don Quijote" - talking about imaginary giants, there's no one better than him."

In a region that is very sparse in planets, especially landable ones, this systems stands out by having seven planets all of which are landable. Admiral Spoon has done a survey of multiple interesting landing sites in the system. The Tronaii Plateau was chosen among these due to the sense of desolation it conveys. Very fitting for this region of the galaxy.

Due to its convenient location, this system was designated as a waypoint for the Sagittarius-Carina Mission before it was surveyed. The name refers to an ancient runic inscription, fitting for a stellar waypoint: "Teiwaz is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes; it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails" (source).

The main star is a neutron star and there are four landable planets. On the second planet there is an impressive crater inside a mountain which seems to be an inactive volcano.

Scouted by CMDR Joghiarius, this system is a virtual showcase of Gas Giants, containing a Type I, II, III and IV (with an orbiting Waterworld), one with water-based life and one with ammonia-based life. It was topped off with a Water Giant that has 2 sets of twin-moons quite close to each other and makes for nice vista's.

Moon 5 b orbits the Ammonia-based life Gas Giant and is only 577 km in diameter. It's surface features comprises of craters, mountain ranges, ridges and deep gorges. Its a confirmed source of Sulphur, Nickel and Molybdenum. The landing spot is on the outskirts of a crater-mountain that is shaped like a tree-trunk, that should be fun to ascend with SRV's.

This system was chosen as a waypoint for the Sagittarius-Carina Mission. At the time is was one of very few systems in this remote area of space to be surveyed, and the only one known to contain a water world. Psychologists of the Institute of Galactic Exploration and Research argued that it was paramount for the mental well being of pilots taking part in the Mission, to have a confirmed location of a water world this far out. This would allow the space-weary explorers a known respite near a blue planet to rest their eyes upon.

When passing through this region of space, pilots found that a neighboring system had an Earthlike World with a landable moon. This location was chosen a landing site.

Made famous by the travels of CMDR Erimus and later the Distant Worlds expedition, Beagle Point has become one of the most well-known systems outside of civilized space. The system itself has few outstanding planetary or stellar features, but is unique for its historical importance and place among the galactic explorers. It is one of the most distant star systems currently surveyed at 65,279 LYs from Sol, and marked the end of the line for the 'Distant Suns' extreme-range survey mission during the very early days of deep space exploration.

Addendum, June 3302: The planets and moons of the Beagle Point system has been confirmed to be remarkably rich in materials used in synthesis for FSD injections to temporarily boost jump range (aka. "Jumponium" materials).

STAGE 3 : BEAGLE POINT - 15 SAGITTARIIFull stage lenght : 35862 LY
Recommended jump range : 25+ / 33+From Beagle Point the main route crosses The Abyss via "Route 33". Be advised that this requires your ship to have a jump range of 33 LY unless you want to run on fumes or use jumponium. You can check the distances for each jump in the link above. Using the Roncevaux Crossing and following a few of the Distant Worlds camps can be used as an alternative for ships with shorter jump range.

This stage of the route is the only one that isn´t located within the Sagittarius-Carina arm. Instead the route spans the distance from the tip of the arm at the far galactic rim, to the root of the arm in the galactic core regions. Along the way a series of notable stars within the Sagittarius constellation is visited, including the blue supergiant 13 Mu Sagittarii which is visible with the naked eye from Earth.

If travelling the route clockwise from the "south", a ship with a range of app. 25 LY should be able to reach all camps until 24 with no problems. Travelling further "north" from camp 24 to 23 requires crossing the gap between the New Outer Arm and the Scutum-Centaurus arm where the stars are spread more thin. Between camp 23 and 22 is a region that current nav-computers will not allow your ship to enter - requiring CMDRs to go either above, below or around it.

This system, discovered by CMDR Stulli, contains a ringed Earth-like World with 3 moons. In addition to being a beauty in itself, this might actually be the only known ELW with 3 moons. The first moon of the ELW contains a mountain ridge with a splendid view of the ringed planet.

Another discovery by CMDR Stulli, this planetary nebula offers a stunning and unique view of the galaxy as seen from the void between the Sagittarius-Carina and Scutum-Centaurus arms.

Reaching this system requires some careful plotting since it is located deep within Route 33. Pilots are adviced to read the description of the route carefully and use the designated entry points for this particular crossing of The Abyss.

The Nest offers a good place to set down and unwind after crossing The Abyss - or to prepare for that crossing if you are travelling the route in the clockwise direction.

The landing site offers a varied topography of roling dunes and steep mountains - possibly a result of the iron magna volcanism of this world. Since the moon is tidally locked in its orbit, the red gas-giant it orbits is forever trapped on the horizon. This foreboding red eye watching the landing site makes you wonder what creature might actually make this place its nest...

The ghostly light of the Will-o'-wisp might lead the unwary traveller into murky waters... or so the saying goes among seasoned explorers. This very bright O-star serves as a beacon marking the route, but the path it lights for you is not without its dangers. If approaching camp 23 from the "north", following this beacon will lead you straight into one of those mysterious regions of the galaxy that current nav-computers refuse to enter. If approaching camp 23 from the "south" a jump range of 30+ is recommended to avoid being lead astray or on a wild goose chase. Once the weary traveller finally reaches his price, the system itself reveals nothing but the star itself. It is truly an "ignis fatuus" (foolish fire).

A nearby quaternary system offers a place to land, but even the ground of this world resembles the phosphorescence of the Will-o'-wisp...

Unlike the deceptive Will-o'-wisp, the Tristar Beacon is a true and distinctive navigational marker. It is a trinary system of two very bright B-stars and one even brighter O-star. For travellers approaching from the "north" it acts as a lighthouse, showing the way to safe waters after the treacherous crossings from the far rim. For travellers approching from the "south" is serves as the final warning post - from here on onwards are perils... And ships with a range below 30+ LY are not recommended to continue "north" of Tristar along this route. An alternative route can be taken via the Distant Worlds waypoints.

CMDR Mindwipe, who scouted the majority of the camps in stage 3 and 4, reports: "The nearby system of EACTAIFY GD-A D14-18 , not only is a very beutiful system to visit, but is pristine rich in materials - which at this point is essential for refueling if you are about to cross the gap to Podar or you have just ventured from that region."

CMDR Mindwipe reports about this landing site: "I felt that a bit of risk should be involved with this way point, as the chosen planet in the system is very close in G to Achenar 3. But it is a beautiful planet once landed on and very rich in Polonium and Arsenic. It also boast some very green mountain areas and plains overlooking a ringed vista to its A-type primary star. I couldnt help but think of the song 'Greensleeves' when i landed here hence the nick name for the landing zone."

While this blue-white supergiant is neither the biggest nor brightest known star in our galaxy, it is among those furthest away while still clearly visible with the naked eye from Earth. Part of the explanation for this is that the star is located deep below the galactic plane allowing for a relative clear line of sight to Earth. The other part is obviously that this IS a supergiant star with a total luminosity of 180.000 times that of the Sun. The star is the 13th star of the constellation Sagittarius (meassured in apparent magnitude), and besides its ancient designation "Mu Sagittarii" it is also known under the names Polis and Dôu.

The landing site is an interesting moon fairly close to the supergiant. It has interesting topography with huge mountains and deep chasms. as a result of this the world looks oddly eggshaped from a distance. From the top of the mountain at New Thriven there are spectacular views to be seen and the planet is heavily metal rich and a good source of materials for porspectors. Many other planets in this system offers spectacular views as well, so take your time to look around while in this system.

Another distant blue-white supergiant in the Sagittarius constellation - though slightly less impressive than 13 Mu. Despite is enourmous distance from Earth it is still the 49th brightest star in the constellation when meassured in apparent brightness from Earth. The system itself contains six stars in addition to 15 Sagittarii but no landable planets. The nearby system of Chraisa HH-V f2-217 houses a black hole as its primay and a neutron star as its neghbouring companion. The landing site is situated in a third system nearby, on a moon that is tidally locked in its orbits around its parent gas giant.

STAGE 4 : 15 SAGITTARII - HIP 72043Full stage lenght : 40548 LY
Recommended jump range : 22+This stage spans the area from civilization, across the Sagittarius Gap to the Omega Nebula and to the root of the Sagittarius arm near the Galactic Core Regions. This area is a veritable fireworks display of multiple and very diverse nebulae, stellar nurseries and many different star types. Of all the stages this is probably the one most suited to explorers flying ships with limited range (22+ LY). Crossing the Sagittarius Gap should be the main challenge, and once inside the arm, star systems just gets increasingly densely packed as you apporach the core regions.

The route ends (or starts) at the Institute of Galactic Exploration and Research (IGER) at Kippax Ring in the Hip 72043 system. The bar on the upper observation deck has officially been designated as "Camp 36". If you have enjoyed taking part in the Sagittarius-Carina Mission we encourage you to sell a little of your exploration data at this station to gain friendly or allied status with IGER.

This nebula is riddled with neutron stars, black holes, and white dwarfs as wel as the usual scoopables and larger B and A class systems. The landing site is located in a neutron star system (so be careful). The first planet in the system is landable and high metal content. It is a very pretty world especially near its massive crater near one of the poles. It is also near the heart of the nebula so you can see most of the gas cloud in the skyline when landed.

The lower and denser part of this nebuale looks like a cauldron, while the upper and more misty parts look like the steam. The waypoint is a trinary system containing a multitude of ringed worlds allowing for many pretty sights. The nebula itself is rich in most classes of common stars with lots of scoop potential and plenty of interesting POI's.

This nebula is divided in a dark and light part. The stars within the light part are predominantly blue, while the stars within the dark part are predominantly red. CMDR Mindwipe reports: "This Region of space is as as close to a stellar nursery as you are gonna get. The surrounding stars have a wealth to be explored - you litterally could spend months here. Most of the stars yield many various planets both with and without atmospheres and those that are landable on initial survey yield a high wealth in materials."

"This nebula is a treasure trove with a verity of systems worth spending time exploring. Traveling through the waypoint system in one of the brightest spots of the nebula is pretty breathtaking and worth the 3000 ls journey to the landing site. This is a releatively low g world with lots of craters for the more daring SRV-pilot, and the surrounding systems have plenty to keep the cartographers and prospectors occupied", CMDR Mindwipe.

This entire sector is an explorers dream. As well as a the neutron stars there are plenty of POI's in the neighbouring systems stretching out to a good 300ly's. There are plenty of unexplored systems with earthlikes, water worlds and planets with water/ammonia based life - good for those wanting to gain a ton of credits mapping the area. The planet for the landing site was chosen for its beautiful topography - there are hundreds of crater impacts on this world and again its a metal rich planet. The crater itself resembles a Yin Yang symbol, and as such was named after "Mount Penglai".

This whispy, purple planetary nebula is centered on a black hole system. The system also contains three icy bodies and a white star in a quite peculiar arrangement. Since there are no landable planets, a metal rich planet in a nearby system was chosen as a landing site.

NGC 6751 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquila. The nebula is estimated to be around 0.8 light-years in diameter and is simply a gem of the galaxy to behold. It is centered on a Wolf-Rayet star, contains five ringed gas giants, whose 18 moons are all 100% metal and landable.

Another camp location that we will be "borrowing" from the Distant Worlds Expedition: "The Omega Nebula base camp is situated between the nebula itself and the neighboring PW2010 Super Cluster, making it the ideal location to begin expeditions out to these two prominent locations."

Welcome home Commander! (Or 'Bon voyage' if you are setting out). This system, located on the edge of civilization in a largely independent area between Alliance space and the frontier, is home to two billion people. Most of these takes residence on the 4th planet of the system (known as "Magellan" among the locals). Another three terraformable worlds are located within this system.

UPDATES to route or camps

UPDATE - Monday Apr 3rd 3303:

New Thriven is the new Thriven at Camp 26

Mount Thriven, the original landing site at Camp 26, seems to have disappeared sometime within the last six months. The geological formations documented in the original scout report can no longer be located, perhabs due to unforeseen topological reconfiguration.

A new landing site has been located and details updated.

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UPDATE - Tuesday Jan 17th 3303:

18 months of continued survey-operations

One and a half year after the Sagittarius-Carina Mission was launched, people are still taking part in this project - a fact that makes me both humble and proud. Following the launch of 35 explorers in the fall of 3301, activity got temporarily lower as many of us decided to take part in the Distant Worlds Expedition of 3302. However, a few individual explorers kept the survey operations going during that time. Following the conclusion of Distant Worlds in the spring of 3302, the Sagittarius-Carina Mission saw a surge in the number of active participants (exceeding 100), as many explorers from Distant Worlds choose to take part in their return trip to the Bubble. These days the Mission has entered a much slower, but steady burn. As long as there are explorers actively taking part, we will keep the Mission going, but should the day come where no one is reporting in, I will declare the Mission as accomplished .

But until then... Let see what wonders the Sagittarius-Carina Arm still has in store for us . To the stars!

Three more camps has been scouted by CMDRs Argon, SpoonLoeffel and Joghiarius - and the details updated in the route description. In other (though somewhat related) news, we have also had the first reports of CMDRs having to return prematurely to the Bubble after landing accidents or supercruising anomalies. Especially supercruise anomalies on high-g worlds is something to be wary of. An altitude of 20 km is recommend before engaging supercruise on such worlds.

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UPDATE - Saturday April 9th 3302:

So this is it! Today is the relaunch!

First let me say how excited I am. We have had a lot of people sign up during the last few weeks, and also many of the original crew getting ready to set out again - bringing the number of registered participants close to 80 and the number of currently active CMDRs close to 50. I really look forward to hear all the stories of your travels and the shinies you find out there (Personally I wont be relaunching until the end of May when our Exploration Wings in DW reach Beagle Point)

Then let me say a huge THANK YOU to all who has helped make this happen - everybody who has contributed either by scouting my wild leads for proposed camps, "donating" discoveries of their own to be used as waypoints, loading maps into EDDiscovery, setting up our gallery, EDSM tracker, Team Speak and Discord channels, designing the mission patch, promoting the expedition in various ways, providing continued moral support... the list goes on

Wishblend, Mindwipe, Satsuma, AndyBoom, Draco47oz, Finwen, Turjan, Hellhawk, Slam Dunk, Gibbonici, Argon, Iureka, Dobbo, drkaii, Swift Arrow, Erimus, Kancro Vantas, Stulli, Allitnil, Whiterose, Katejina, Aengus, Istigkeit and everybody who has supported this or signed up either back in august or here in april to take part in the fun... - thank you all!(if I have forgotten one or two people in the ruckus I deeply apologize - please send me a gentle PM and Ill get the list updated)

Please remember to register the date you set out and reach a camp in the progress sheet - this will serve as your own record, but also let others know how many is currently active on the expedition.

If you feel like it, it would be awesome to have participants post a "postcard" here in the thread as they set out. This can be everything from a short greeting, a group photo from your starting camp... or you could do as CMDR Turjan did...

Remember - there is no centrally scheduled meetups here. If you want to organize meetups for groups you will have to set it up yourself. The infrastructure should now be in place for you to easily do just that - the participants sheet will help you see where others are - the comms channels stand ready for you on both TS and Discord. Simply make a new thread here in the exploration forums, post the details and get people together for the fun!

The Deep Space Communications Array

The First Great Expedition is proud to announce the construction of the Deep Space Communications Array.

The Deep Space Communications Array is open for all explorers as a way to keep in touch while out in the depths of deep space, so all those solo explorers can chat to fellow explorers or any of the big expeditions that might be passing through their little section of the galaxy. It also accommodates numerous "wing channels" that may be used by any explorers in need of reliable communication with their current wing members.

The array was constructed by the pathfinders of the FGE by searching for downed nav beacons on distant worlds and uploading new software to turn them into nodes of the communications array.

The technical details are as follows:-

Teamspeak Server

Address: 87.81.9.242
Password = Magellan
512 Slots

The FGE staff coordination group is willing to accommodate additional channels on the Teamspeak server, just get in touch with them.

We will be using the Array for communications on the Sagittarius-Carina Mission

This is great!, thanks for working this out.
It will help the journey back to the bubble from BP having some predefined POI`s to head towards.
Although it would be nice to add some of my own as well.

If you find some places of interest, add them to this thread on your travels and we will see what we can do, we do have something coming that will help with route plotting for those looking for expeditions in the future.